hello there!!! its me again. first things first, congratulations to nic for winning the cow print cuff that was up for offer in the last blog, that will be winging its way to GERMANY (whoo hoo look at me going all international, yeah all right nics an ex pat, does make me wonder if i have any other international followers though). it was going to be a highlty technical draw, well ok bits of paper with numbers on them, but the desk was a mess i couldn't find any paper, so i resorted to shouting downstairs and getting the other half to pick a number lol.

so what have i been up to since the last blog. erm beading!! last week i seemed to have an influx of energy and was rustling up peyote cuffs left right and centre, downside is though i burnt myself out by wednesday, but these three little beauties are what i created whilst the mojo was flowing

they were all designed by me but i hadn't got round to making them, but i finally did it and they turned out really well in the end.
i also had a play with some fimo, i haven't got the patience for it, those that make amazing beads and things out of it are pretty much gods in my eyes, i would show pics of my creations but i forgot to take any, i guess i shall save them for a slow news week.
yesterday i had the urge to make but didn't want to bead, so i got the pliers out and some jump rings and did a bit of chainmaille, considering i just used cheap rings from hobbycraft and the aspect ratio was wrong cos of the gauge of wire used for them the end results are quite cool i think

the ducky was made my helen over at lala lampwork and is a keeper i love my duckies i do.
i also bought some lovely lampies from joanne and teamed them up with some antique gold coloured findings, swarovski crystals and some random black beads that worked perfectly with what i had planned to create this

so what do you think guys? anything you'd like to see me attempt or want to know about me?

learning curves and technical difficulties

well i was supposed to write a blog last week about a learning curve i've just been on but tecnical difficulties prevented me from doing it how i wanted so i didn't blog. but i can't leave you guys feeling neglected so i'm cobbling this one together but there will be a giveaway so bare with me.
well what was i doing?
i was making up a peyote cuff from one of my chart patterns so i could list it on the fan page and then in the folsky/etsy/whatever shop when i get round to sorting that out. i'd got the beads and the clasp, but as usual i just picked a clasp that i thought would be the right size, a five ringed slide clasp (i do like slide clasps) but as i started to make up the peyote band i figured that it was a bit too wide for the clasp, so i had a think. whilst i was thinking i was browsing the forums i frequent and spotted some cuffs that donna over at delicate sparkles had done they were peyote but mounted onto a cuff blank. well i had a couple of cuff blanks upstairs ready for some bead embroidery cuffs i've not got round to doing yet (i will do them one day) so decided this was going to be the best course of action.
of course nothing is that straight forward the cuff blank was slightly wider than the peyote piece i was a fair way through making, but i figured a row of brick stitch at the end would make it wide enough. of course all the way through this i'm taking pictures of my work mat so you guys can see the progress being made.
well when i'd finished the peyote i added the row of brick stitch and i was pretty pleased with how it was looking. so i proceeded to cover the cuff blank with the ultasuede. what a palaver!!!! i'm not sure if its becuse i was using an offcut which wasn't square or it was just me trying to run before i could walk and having no patience but at the end of it all i was rather stressed out but i had a nicely covered blank apart from one tiny little crease which i couldn't get rid of for love nor money.
so then it was time to attach the peyote to the covered blank. DOH!!!!! i forgot that adding the ultrasuede would make the blank thicker so my nicely fitting peyote strip was still slightly narrow! but no worries i just had to make sure i sewed it on nice and square so it didn't look wonky. no problem that went fine. unfortunately one end is closer to the end of the blank than the other only by a rows width though.
needless to say i've learnt a lot making this and hopefully the next time i make a rigid cuff i will remember them. unfortunately the pictures i had taken are on my phone and for some reason flickr won't allow me to upload them and i can't find my cable so i'm afraid there is no work in progress pictures or of me tearing my hair out surrounded by ultrasuede offcuts but there is a picture of the finished item

which i think actually turned out really well all things considered.
so then who wants it? yes i am going to offer this cuff as a giveaway to anybody who posts a cow joke in the comments. the winner will be chosen at random at 5pm (roughly) 17th July 2011, so it doesn't matter if the joke is really cheesy its not the best joke that wins (in fact a cheesy one would win in that case cos they are my fave) and if nobody posts a comment i shall keep it for myself, but i hope people do play along
see you in the next post!!!